HE LIVES—AND WE ARE WITNESSES!

We are in the season of STRESSING the Gospel message of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Yet, we must ever be SHARING that redemption story, “In season and out of season,” as Paul told Timothy (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2b). That is, every season is “in season”, even if it is considered by some to be “out of season”!  

The central truth of the Christian faith is that Christ is risen from the dead, for without it we have no hope. Apart from it, we have no message.  Should Christ not be risen, then the preacher should close his Bible, walk out of the pulpit, turn off the lights, lock the doors, and never waste his time, or that of anyone else ever again. Indeed, life itself would be “futile,” as Paul puts it, (cf. 1 Cor. 15:17). 

Yet, as the hymn says, “I serve a risen Savior!”  Every Lord’s Day is a reminder of the reason we gather as the saints of God. That is the day Christ rose from the tomb. We meet not just because of a commandment to do so, but for a celebration in doing so. 

The story never gets old. It must never fail to be told and retold. As witnesses we must be bold!

If the preacher is not faithful to bear witness to the resurrection of Christ consistently, then He is guilty of sermonic malpractice.

WHO’S YOUR ONE? Day 17

What's in It for Me?

“One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11:24‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ””
‭‭Acts‬ ‭20:35‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Generosity benefits the giver and the receiver. It is paradoxical for the Bible to assert that the more we give, the more we gain, since our hearts incline us to hoard instead of give. In Christ, we have been given a treasure in the form of good news (2 Corinthians 4:7), and there is much to gain in sharing this news with others. When we are generous with the gospel message which has been entrusted to us, it is not only for the recipient’s benefit. When we generously share the gospel with our one, we gain something too, be it in the form of intimacy with the Lord, the joy of being used by Him or a reminder for ourselves in our very words about how precious this news really is.

As you share the gospel this week, remember the message you are sharing is for the recipient, but it’s also for you, too. For it is truly “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). (From “Who’s Your One?” Devotional, NAMB)

WHO’S YOUR ONE? Day 13

Keep Going

“For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

If we are living intentionally to advance God’s kingdom, we will grow weary. Our souls and bodies grow tired with time and age. Life’s harsh realities put a wet towel on our fiery passion which once burned brightly. But we find hope to endure when we look at the cross. As we think on the person and work of Jesus, we place our hope in the One who endured immense hostility to the point of death on the cross. He did this so we would not give up. As the great crowd of witnesses spurs you on, keep running the race set before you with endurance, with your eyes ever fixed on the Savior. While it may take years or decades to see that friend, family member or your one come to Christ, “be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Pray the Lord would give you endurance as you share the gospel with your one. (From “Who’s Your One?” Devotional, NAMB)

WHO’S YOUR ONE? Day 10

The Value of the Kingdom

““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:44‬ ‭CSB‬‬

How valuable do you perceive God’s kingdom to be? In the movie National Treasure, main character Ben Gates (played by Nicholas Cage) abandons everything to find a treasure his family spent decades unsuccessfully searching for. With his eyes on the prize in front of him, he stops at nothing to follow the clues hidden throughout the United States to find the treasure. Similarly, the man in Matthew 13:44 joyfully gave up all he had because of the value of what he was getting in return. The kingdom of God held so much weight to him that selling all he had was a small cost compared to his gain. As missionary Jim Elliot put it, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Never stop seeing the kingdom of God as the greatest treasure, and set your heart adamantly on inviting our one into this joy.

Pray you would value the kingdom like the man in Matthew 13:44 and that it would propel you to share your findings with your one. (From “Who’s Your One?” devotional, NAMB)

WHO’S YOUR ONE? Day 7

As You Go, He Is with You

“Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:18-20‬ ‭CSB‬‬

One of the most beautiful lines in the Great Commission is the promise of God’s abiding presence as we take the gospel message, in word and in deed, to the corners of the earth. The scope of the task is vast. God has commissioned us to go, make disciples, baptize and teach to the nations. This includes those in our own backyards. While we may not board a plane to a remote undisclosed location, we have been called to make disciples of all nations—including our own. The scope of the task is great, but the promise of the Lord to be with us as we go is clear. As you share the good news with your one, remind yourself that you are not alone.

Pray God would remind you, through the Holy Spirit, that you are not alone on God’s mission. (From “Who’s Your One?” Devotional, NAMB)

WHO’S YOUR ONE? Day 6

You Are Worthy Because of Christ

By default, our hearts want to justify ourselves through our accomplishments. We sweat, strive and toil to prove to ourselves, the world and God we are worthy. We are worthy of affection and love. We are worthy of honor and recognition. We are worthy of admiration and esteem.

But the only way to God is outside of ourselves. While not altogether worthless, our striving is but vapor before the face of a holy and perfect God. The good news we bring to our friends and family who do not know Jesus is that the only way to the Father is through Jesus. We come to the feet of Jesus as our true selves: broken, tired and in need of restoration, and it is here we see Him as “the way, the truth and the life.” Our way to God is found outside of ourselves, and on this path we find joy in the fact that we can never lose what we did not earn.

Identify what your one may use—esteem, recognition, power, etc. —to justify themselves. Share with them the good news that Jesus offers us rest from endless striving. (From “Who’s Your One?” Devotional, NAMB)

WHO’S YOUR ONE? Day 3: Sharing from a Heart of Thankfulness

We are motivated to share the gospel out of thanksgiving to God. The Lord is our salvation (Isaiah 24:2), and He has turned away His anger from us and welcomed us into His family through Christ. From the outpouring of our thankfulness is a desire for others to know His goodness as well. We proclaim, make known and declare who God is and what He has done because we understand—even if in small degrees—where we would be had He not intervened in our lives. With thankful hearts, we push past our insecurities, fears and people pleasing, and we share with our friends, neighbors and our one the greatest news we have ever heard and they will ever hear.

Today, share the gospel with your one out of a heart of gratitude for what God has done on your behalf.

JESUS, THE TRUE VINE: Abiding in Joy

The Christian life is often misrepresented as one of solemn servitude. Too often we do behave like sad sacks, whose favorite verse is, “Woe is me.”  That is not what Jesus offers.

Yes, there is sacrifice, but it is giving up momentary pleasure for eternal delight.  Satan wants you to think you are losing something. What you can avoid with a holy life is a hangover,  addiction, sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancy, prison, death, and hell—a place of eternal suffering and sorrow.

There is service in the Christian life, but it is not drudgery—it is delight!  Peter expressed this as, “joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).

When we abide in Christ, His joy abides in us!  Even in the face of the deepest sorrow and deadly suffering on the cross, Jesus maintained His joy. “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Heb.12:2). Thus, Christ’s joy is seen to be independent of circumstances—more than an emotion. Don’t get me wrong—feelings matter, but they are fickle things. Jesus offers abiding joy by abiding in Him.

We abide in Him in the Word and in prayer.  “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7). The old hymn says it well:

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.  (Austin Miles)

JESUS, THE TRUE VINE: Abiding in Love

Jesus tells us that the Christian life is about a relationship with Him. This vital connection brings His life into ours and the evidence is the fruit that we bear. At the forefront of that fruit is love.  We are to abide in love.

We are given examples of this in John 15:9, 13 in the Father’s love for the Son and the Son’s love for us. The Father’s love for the Son was demonstrated by sharing all that He is and has with Him (see John 3:35; 5:20; 17:24). The Son’s love for us was demonstrated by sacrificing all He had to save us—laying down His life for His friends (15:13). When I abide in love I follow that example in sharing and sacrifice.

We further note evidences of this in John 15:10, 12, 17. There will be the evidence of love for God (v.10) and man (v.12,17). This sums up the law of God. Jesus said elsewhere it is the Great Commandment (see Matt.22:35-40).

Then, consider the effects of this in John 15:12, 14, 16). There will be intimacy (v.14). Imagine, we are called friends of Jesus!  That suggests the closest of connections. There will be impact (v.16). The life that loves is one of eternal significance.  Our prayer life will be potent as God is pleased to answer those who pray out of a motivation of love.

Why don’t you open your Bible at 1 Cor.13, get on your knees and pray for that kind of love?  It will be life-changing!

JESUS, THE TRUE VINE: Abiding in Fruitfulness

“‘I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.’” (‭‭John‬ ‭15:1-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

This is the seventh and last of the “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel. Jesus declares that He is the True Vine in contrast to Israel that claimed to be God’s vine, yet were a false vine because they were not a fruitful vine. It is through Christ that all the covenant blessings promised to Abraham’s seed are fulfilled.

True followers of Christ are those branches that are vitally connected to Him. Christianity is not the dead branch of religion that may appear good, but has no eternal fruitfulness for there is no real relationship with Jesus. Such branches are destined for the fire. Jesus said that His followers are recognized by their fruit (Matt.7:16-20).

There will be varying degrees of fruitfulness, but there will be genuine fruit (Gal.5:22-23). Our aim is to see increasing fruitfulness and thus to glorify God.

The first essential is a saving connection. The word, “abide” is used eleven times in eleven verses. This is a relationship that comes by faith and is manifested by fruit. You never see a branch on a grape vine straining to produce fruit. It is the connection that makes the difference.  Apart from Christ, you can do nothing (v.5b)—zip, zero, zilch!

The second essential is the pruning action. Jesus is the Vine, but the Father is the Vinedresser. The way branches become productive is by pruning. Good branches are cut back and that makes them produce more fruit rather than more foliage. That it increases is seen in the progression from “fruit” to “more fruit,” (John 15:2), to “much fruit,” (v.5).    

The third essential is the spiritual transformation. This happens as we abide daily in God’s Word until it abides in us and abide in prayer with Him (v.7).  We often have scant and shriveled fruit because we spend little time in hearing from Christ in His Word and conversing with Him in prayer. You cannot expect to be fruitful for Christ in public if you are not faithful with Christ in private.

BAD NEWS; GOOD NEWS

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
— ‭‭John‬ ‭14:6‬‬

Our spiritual condition is a bad news, good news scenario. The bad news is that we are sinners separated from God—a universal condition that we are born in and throughout a lifetime of rebellious choices become entrenched in. Our final destination on that path is hell. Where is the good news?  It is this—God did not leave us in that state without remedy. We can be born again!  That second birth enables us to be in a right relationship with God and repentance brings us to right choices on a path that ends in heaven.

Without Christ, you are lost.  We are wandering farther and farther from God and closer and closer to the Abyss. That’s the bad news.  The good news is Christ is the Way.  Jesus came to be the bridge across the great divide between us and Holy God.

Without Christ, you are deceived.  That’s the bad news.  Our minds are twisted by error. The good news is Christ is the Truth.  His life that He demonstrated and the lessons that He declared revealed the truth about God and His ways.

Without Christ, you are dead in sin.  You are not merely sick, but dead, and dead people cannot fix themselves. That’s the bad news.  The good news is Christ is the Life.  He possesses resurrection power and by His Spirit will summon you through the Word of God to life.

If you have come to Christ, then rejoice and give Him praise. It was not because of anything good you have done, but the good in Him. That’s grace!

If you have not come to Him, will you hear His voice, and respond to His call today?

JESUS IS THE LIFE OF REGENERATION

 “I am the…life…”  (John 14:6).

Apart from Christ, the Bible describes us as dead in trespasses and sins. We are the walking dead.  Our bodies degrade and decay—we die physically.  Even worse, there is the second death—the Lake of Fire—eternal death, for those who reject Christ.

That is why we must be born again—regenerated and becoming a new creation in Christ!  Jesus is the source of life. It comes through a personal relationship with Christ where we receive Him by faith.

Jesus is not only the source, but the substance of life.  Paul put it this way, “For to me to live is Christ...” (Phil.1:21). The Christian life is Christ living in me—not just a changed life, but an exchanged life. Paul described it in Galatians 2:20,  “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
‭‭
Jesus is the source, substance and the sum of life.  When it’s all been said and done, all life is summed up in Jesus—to live eternally with Him.  That’s why Paul could say, “For to me to live is Christ, AND TO DIE IS GAIN.”  [Phil.1:21, emphasis added].

See how Jesus put it, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3).

Here is the promise of eternal life “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” (John‬ ‭14:18-20‬)

JESUS IS THE TRUTH OF REVELATION

 “I am the…truth…”  (John 14:6).

That Baby born in Bethlehem’s manger was Truth Incarnate. He did not just come with the revelation of God’s truth in His teaching, but that teaching was true because He was the personification of God’s truth in His being.

The religions of the world claim to present truth concerning whatever deity they proclaim.  They claim to have heard from eternity and now declare the message on earth. Someone came to them—an angel, whatever—but, in Jesus we have one who came from eternity and declared Himself to be God on earth!

We are born brain damaged.  Sin has degraded our thinking.  Our eyes are blind to the truth.  The truth is diluted and distorted by the world.  Scripture warns of those ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

You cannot reach God on the ladder of logic or get to heaven on the rocket of reason.  It is logical and reasonable to believe the truth concerning God that is revealed in creation, conscience, and communication in Scripture. Yet, that is not enough. It takes the revelation of the Holy Spirit through the power of the Gospel. It isn’t that logic and reason don’t apply, but that God has ultimate truth that transcends all else. You must move beyond knowing about Jesus, to knowing Him personally!

Jesus did more than speak about God—He showed us God!  His whole life was a revelation of the Father.

“‘If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”?’” (John 14:7-9).

If you ever want to know God, then come and meet Jesus!

JESUS IS THE WAY OF RECONCILIATION

 “I am the way…no one comes to the Father except through Me.”  (John 14:6)

There is a great gulf fixed between sinful humanity and sinless Deity.  Jesus is the Bridge across that chasm.  We are estranged from God because of our sin—our rebellion against Him. We need to be reconciled to God—and there is a way.

Jesus has opened up the way to God, but we must choose that way.  He has come to us as the Way, but we must come to the Father through Him.

He is the only way, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  The Bible pictures us as sheep gone astray who cannot find our way.  We may think we are on the right path and yet the Bible warns, “There is a way that seems right unto a man, but its end is the way of death.”  Jesus said there was a broad way that leads to destruction—sadly, most are on that way—maybe you are.

But, there is another way—a narrow way.  Jesus says, “I am the way.”  Through Him alone, we can be reconciled to God.  I pray the Holy Spirit will confirm in your heart that you are truly following Christ, or show you the way of salvation in Christ if you are on the wrong way.

I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John‬ ‭14:6‬‬)

A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s why Jesus gave us object lessons to teach us the truth we dare not miss, nor forget—"that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor.15:3b-4).

When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, the elements remind us of this Gospel message. So, does baptism, as we bury and raise people in the water, declaring the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus also painted for us seven word pictures to teach us that He is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Door, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection, and this week we will see Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Next week, we plan to consider the final “I Am,” statement—the Vine.

So, get ready to dive into this study. Jesus is the Way to God, the Truth about God, and the Life from God.  This is why Jesus came to earth—His mission to mankind.

THE TEARS OF JESUS

It is the shortest verse in the Bible—“Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Yet, how profound are those two words.

The obvious reason for why He cried is that He was in the presence of those who were mourning—especially his dear friends Mary and Martha, whose brother Lazarus has died. If Christmas means anything, it means that God entered the world as a helpless babe—who despite Luther’s well-intended sentiment, “the little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes,”—likely announced His arrival the same way all do—by crying. Scripture speaks of Jesus’, “vehement cries and tears,” (Heb.5:7) and stresses that He, “sympathizes with our weaknesses,” (Heb.4:15). Jesus knew what it was like to grieve at a graveside. When you cry those bitter tears, be assured that He has too.

Another factor, which may have led Him to weep, was that He was in the presence of those who refused to believe in Him and Jesus knew that the reason for death was unbelief and disobedience. The world had been under the curse ever since man rejected paradise by deciding he knew more than God and could handle things better himself. Jesus came to bring us back to paradise—but, many standing there that day rejected Him still. In fact, the presence of Lazarus after his resurrection provided an impetus to deal with Jesus’ threat to the religious leaders.  “From that day on, they plotted to put Him to death” (John 11:53).

Let me offer another suggestion for Christ’s tears. He knew what Lazarus was enjoying in heaven, and He was summoning Him back into a world of suffering and sorrow!  Lazarus would not be resurrected in the fullest sense, but would be restored to physical life. Since he would not be glorified, he would continue to age and die again!  That is a heartbreaking thought. Unlike many who have made movies and money sharing their journey to heaven and back, we have no recorded words of Lazarus about the experience. We know Paul was forbidden to speak of his trip to Paradise (2 Cor.12:1-4).  No wonder he lived in light of eternity and said, “to depart and be with Christ...is far better” (Phil.1:23).

The next time you go the funeral of a Christian, grieve with the family, and be broken-hearted for living in a broken world, but shed no tears for the departed. They are happier than they have ever been!  When we enter the world we cry and others rejoice, but when we depart they cry and we rejoice.

ULTIMATE FREEDOM

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.””
‭‭John‬ ‭11:25, 43-44‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Lazarus still had a problem. He had been summoned from death, yet he was bound in his grave clothes. He shuffles to the doorway of the tomb and Jesus commands, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:44).

This body can become a prison, as we long for freedom.  I have eternal life as Jesus has summoned me from the graveyard of sin and death. Yet, each day I struggle with these grave clothes. This old body I dwell in is still subject to the bondage of the curse. But, one day, I will break out and soar!

The late Dottie Rambo used to sing it this way:

The holy hills of Heaven call me
To mansions bright across the sea
Where loved ones wait and crowns are given
When the hills of home start calling me

This house of clay is but a prison
Bars of bone hold my soul
But the doors of clay are gonna burst wide open
When the angel sets my spirit free
I'll take my flight like a mighty eagle
When the hills of home start calling me

I see loved ones over yonder
Tears are gone and hearts are free
And from the throne of my Savior beckons
And the hills of home are calling me

This house of clay is but a prison
Bars of bone hold my soul
But the doors of clay are gonna burst wide open
When the angel sets my spirit free
I'll take my flight like a mighty eagle
When the hills of home start calling me
Calling me
 (You can listen on the link below)

Are you afraid of death?  The reality is that you are going to die and after this the judgment.  Listen: “God…now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained, He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30b-31)
https://youtu.be/jXrL-Z44KHc

THE GRACIOUS FULNESS OF DELIVERANCE: A Powerful Liberty

Read John 11:37-44.

Facing death, it is comforting that Jesus cares, but our greatest consolation is that Jesus conquered!  He turned every funeral into a celebration—as He does here.

There was an authoritative cry of command.  It has been well said that if Jesus had not called Lazarus personally, every dead person in the graveyard would have risen!  Some day, maybe soon, that resurrection voice will speak again.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thess.4:13-18).

Those words do comfort us.  We know that in Christ, our loved ones gone before us will be waiting for our arrival. Happy reunion day! We will be fully delivered from suffering, sorrow, and sin! This is the powerful liberty we find in the resurrection. Can you imagine the joyful embrace between the sisters and their brother when Lazarus arose?  This is what we are so eager for!

When our other grandchildren are opening Christmas presents this year, we will miss our little Mya’s squeals of delight. But we will hear her laughter again, when we see her in heaven! My father used to sing much about heaven, but then disease took his music as dementia took his mind.  His voice was silenced when death came.  Now, he sings with the saints in glory and I’ll join him in the song of Moses and the Lamb someday.  “When this poor, lisping stammering tongue, lies silent in the grave, then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save.”  (William Cowper)

Do you have that hope of heaven, firmly fixed in your faith in Christ?

THE GLORIOUS FREEDOM FROM DEATH: A Promised Victory

Read John 11:17-36.

The victory is in the Victor (v.25).  One day, Jesus would not just be raising someone else from the dead—incredible as that was—but, He would lie lifeless in a tomb, dead for days.  The earth trembled and the skies grew dark as midnight, as He died.  The demons laughed in that darkness as the chains of death were wrapped around the Son of God.  Yet, Jesus shattered those shackles, and Light burst forth from the tomb, as Jesus conquered!

As He spoke at Lazarus’ tomb, He knew that time was coming, and would face it unflinching. So may we. Look at the promise (v.26).

The very nature of death has been transformed.  Did you hear how Jesus described it earlier? As sleep (v.11-14).

Sleep is harmless.  We aren’t anxious about it, but anticipate it!

Sleep is restful.  “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ “ “Yes, says the Spirit, “that they may have rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” (Rev.14:13).

Sleep is temporary.  We shall rise!  The body slumbers in the soil, while our spirit soars to God—then comes that great gettin’ up mornin’ when our eternal soul is united with a glorified body!

Death is just moving day.  When I speak of my grandchildren, I say, “I have thirteen—one is in heaven.” My granddaughter Mya is more alive today than she’s ever been.  She’s just in a different location.  She lives because of Jesus!

Have you placed your faith in the Son of God?  You can have that same hope!

THE GRIM FACT OF DEATH: A Present Reality

Read John 11:1-16.

There is nowhere we can run to escape the grim reaper. He will track us down.  Scripture affirms, “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Heb.9:27)

Isn’t it remarkable that the Bible says that Jesus loved Lazarus, but His love did not prevent his sickness and death?  Though He had power to heal, He chose to delay with the result being Lazarus’ death.

Joni Eareckson Tada was paralyzed as a teen in a diving accident—a quadriplegic, who now is plagued by chronic pain.  Her faith is tested, but triumphant.  She says, “God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.”

Why did Jesus allow Lazarus to die?  He tells the disciples that it was foremost for the glory of the Father (John 11:4) and then for the grounding of their faith (v.15, 41-42).

The disciples didn’t get it.  Martha and Mary were dismayed (v.21, 32).  Later they would know.  We see the whole story.  We live life forward, but understand it backward.  Only heaven may bring answers to our deepest questions.  That is where our faith must kick in (see 2 Cor.4:16-18; 5:6-7).

What Jesus did was share their sorrow (v.33-36).  As we face the grim fact of death, the words of this song are poignant:

“Does Jesus care, when I’ve said goodbye to the dearest on earth to me?  When my sad heart aches, till it nearly breaks, does Jesus know, can He see?  Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares.  His heart is touched by my pain.  When the days are dreary, the long night’s weary, I know my Savior cares.”